Tears on the Sand
by DreamWeaver619
Summary: Renkotsu, the cold calculating second in command. Suikotsu the mentally factured doctor. Who knew they would find solice in each other's arms. RenxSui


**TEARS ON THE SAND**

By VegaSailor

The band of seven deadly warriors known as the Shichinintai, were walking quite peaceably along a road way by the sea in the direction of their home base. That was where they recuperated between missions and stored all of their personal belongings. They had become so famous, people sent messengers to them for their talents rather than traveling around to wherever there was a war going on.

However at this point they had completed a rather exciting, but hard won mission that left them all strung out and ready for some rest.

"Ahhh! The sea is so nice!" Jakotsu chirped, looking out at the water while they walked. "The air is so fresh, which is good considering all the smoke we breathed in."

Renkotsu shot Jakotsu a withering glare. He was just starting to relax, so he certainly did not need Jakotsu subtly throwing criticism at him. "Would you have preferred blistering your delicate hands tearing the town down piece by piece?" the second in command growled.

"Huh?" Jakotsu looked from the ocean to his grumbling superior officer quizzically. "Did you say something Renkotsu?"

Renkotsu rolled his eyes and scoffed in annoyance, before turning his head to look the other way.

Jakotsu let out a long suffering sigh and jogged up to walk alongside Bankotsu. "Has Renkotsu got a stick shoved up his butt again?"

"The real question is; can it be removed?" Bankotsu grinned and chuckled.

Jakotsu giggled.

"Hey what's that?" Suikotsu narrowed his eyes at something along the shoreline.

Everyone followed Suikotsu's gaze and locked on a large brown shape in the distance. In five minutes time they had made it close enough to tell what it was.

"Hey, looks like one of those ships of those people with the big eyes that smell nasty." Jakotsu stuck out his tongue as he thought of the smelly Europeans they had encountered.

"Oh they're not all bad. They have some cleverness alongside their poor hygiene. " Renkotsu patted the large cannon on his shoulder and smirked back at Ginkotsu who replied with his peculiar chuckle.

"Looks as if it's run a ground… Abandoned," Suikotsu said thoughtfully.

"Well, what do you guys say we check it out?" Bankotsu cocked his head in the direction of the ship. "If they were traders, maybe there might be some things left for us."

The Shichinintai carefully approached the ship. It was clear the ship had been caught in a storm and had foundered upon the rocks. The silence and the blood stains on the sand indicated the crew was dead and their bodies consumed by wild animals and youkai.

Carefully Bankotsu approached the gaping hole in the ship. Prepared in case a youkai might still be roaming around, he poked the blade of his halberd, Banryuu, in first, and then slowly entered. He quickly glanced around at the barrels, crates and chests and listened. There was not a living thing to be seen, and the only sound was the ocean water striking the hull of the ship.

"Well it looks clear." Bankotsu slowly lowered Banryuu. "But keep your eyes open just in case."

Bankotsu walked over to one of the crates, and using Banryuu like a fancy crowbar, opened the top.

"Well, well. Looky what we have here." Bankotsu grinned looking down in the crate and seeing an array of foreign alcohol. "Looks like were going to have a party tonight!"

"Let's see what we've got." Renkotsu pulled out a clear glass bottle with an equally clear liquid in it. "Sorikunaya….b..b…bodoka? Hm. Must be one of those drinks from the Northern part of the continent. Siberia… isn't it?" He pulled the cork out and sniffed the contents, before drinking. "Hm. Striking, yet smooth."

"Oh! Let me try." Bankotsu snatched the bottle from Renkotsu's hand. "You're right. Finally something a little lighter than sake."

"This one has a weird name." Jakotsu pulled out another bottle. "Bun... shen... sh'nappusu?"

"This one has a nice smoky, woody flavor." Mukotsu smacked his lips after trying a sip of whisky. "Now if only we had some beautiful women to go with it."

"Here, here." Renkotsu raised a bottle of rum.

"I like the alcohol alone just fine." Jakotsu sipped his "sh'nappusu" indignantly, but then turned his eyes to their young leader. "But a little extra action wouldn't hurt." Jakotsu gave Bankotsu's rump a friendly slap.

"Well you guys are going to have a lot of fun, there's about five crates full of all that booze and more." Suikotsu made a quick glance over the boxes.

"Aren't you going to join us, Sui?" Jakotsu quirked an eye brow at him.

"I'd rather not." The claw bearer refused calmly.

"Oh Sui what's with you? Usually Ren is the stick in the mud." Jakotsu pursed his lips in a pouty face, completely unaware of the murderous glare Renkotsu was giving him.

"I use alcohol for other purposes than polluting my blood, thank you." The doctor closed his eyes patiently though it was clear his patience was wearing thin.

"Oooh! Sui, what "other" uses?" The cross-dresser leered.

"Sterilizing wounds," the claw bearer answered coldly.

Jakotsu blinked, wide-eyed. "Is that a threat?"

Suikotsu's only answer was a nonchalant shrug.

"I think he's more worried over the effect on his sanity, than his blood," Renkotsu interjected, the comment eliciting a glare from Suikotsu.

"Have you ever had anything alcoholic since you've been with us, Sui?" asked Bankotsu thoughtfully.

Suikotsu lowered his head and looked away, but remained silent. Renkotsu took the liberty of answering for him. "He hasn't."

"How the hell did you manage that?" Mukotsu poked his head over the crate he had been drinking behind.

"He always drank tea and took care of us when we passed out," Renkotsu spoke for Suikotsu again, while he opened another bottle of the "bodoka".

"Oh yeah…" Jakotsu scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I didn't realize it was actually tea."

"I…I have no taste for it," Suikotsu suddenly spoke for himself, before turning on his heel and exiting the boat.

"More for us, ne, Ban-chaannnnn?" Jakotsu giggled and threw his arms around the aforementioned leader.

Renkotsu rolled his eyes, before letting out a long suffering sigh, at the sight.

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Suikotsu lazily watched the rolling of the ocean waves. His eyelids drooped as his adrenaline surge from the mission had completely worn off and his body was fully realizing how tired it was from the exertion of slaughtering around a hundred soldiers or more.

He automatically glanced over to his right when he heard the sounds of "whoops," "hollers," and singing from his comrades, though he could not see them from his sitting position just behind a small sand dune. He watched a stream of smoke rise into the air, not doubt his comrades had built a bonfire courtesy of Renkotsu.

The claw bearer thought about getting up and joining his teammates at the fire circle, but found at the moment he was just too tired for their antics, which would only be magnified ten fold by their alcohol consumption. He wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Jakotsu took to running around the fire naked, because the foreign drinks told him to.

He decided instead to turn his attention back to the hypnotic churning of the salty waters. Strangely, the turmoil of the water seemed to calm the turmoil in his mind. He liked these moments, when all of his personalities were in harmony with each other and his mind was clear, too bad these moments short in their duration.

"Ah, there you are!" the familiar voice of the Shichinintai second in command, Renkotsu, knocked Suikotsu out of his reverie.

The claw bearer looked up at his teammate as he approached, with his cannon on one shoulder and a crate from the ship balanced on the other. The fire breather carefully set them down, before sitting himself next to Suikotsu.

"Renkotsu, you aren't going to poison yourself with the others?" Suikotsu asked, quirking an eyebrow at his comrade.

"No. Jak and Ban might try to jump me, and Gin is too inebriated to come to my rescue." Renkotsu chuckled pulling out the "bodoka" bottle in the crate.

Suikotsu chuckled as well. "So you're going to poison yourself here instead, where I can save you. Clever."

Renkotsu grinned and stood up. "That and figure out which one of these foreign drinks makes the best fuel."

"Fuel?" Suikotsu furrowed his brow in a combination of confusion and apprehension.

The second in command's grin grew wider and he knocked back the gulp of the "bodoka" and then exhaled a huge ball of flame.

"Ah." The claw bearer's eyes widened, in both fascination and fear at the flames rising out to touch the sky, before dissipating into the endless blue and black.

The "sh'chnnapusu" followed the "bodoka" in Renkotsu's fuel testing, then came a golden colored drink, followed by a dark brown one. Suikotsu was so mesmerized by the flames that he was a little startled when Renkotsu finally addressed him.

"Enjoying it?" Renkotsu grinned drunkenly, at Suikotsu's surprised expression. "Wanna try?"

"What?" Suikotsu chuckled, as he knew his teammate must be joking. "I can't breathe fire."

"I'm serious," Renkotsu insisted and almost laughed when Suikotsu balked at his suggestion. "I'll help you. You provide the fuel, I'll provide the fire. Just take a big gulp of one of these drinks and--"

"No deal! I see what this is!" Suikotsu snarled as he saw right through Renkotsu's plan. "You all made a bet didn't you? 'Who can get Suikotsu drunk?', ne?"

"What's with you?" Renkotsu snapped back, looking very offended at the accusation. "I knew you were crazy, but I didn't think you were paranoid as well. Besides in fire breathing you're not supposed to swallow, you blow out to light it on fire and enjoy the after taste."

"Oh well, I'm sorry." Suikotsu looked down, trying to sound apologetic, but he wasn't completely convinced. "I'd rather not risk burning my lips off or swallowing that liver poisoning, brain killing substance."

Renkotsu grinned and held out the bottle of the "bodoka". "Never know till you try."

"You would have to tie me up and pour it down my unwilling throat." Suikotsu sat, completely obstinate in his position.

Renkotsu's expression turned from a grin to a frown, then to a wicked smirk. Suddenly the fire breather pounced, catching his teammate off guard and pinning him easily to the ground.

"Renkotsu! What are you--" Suikotsu stared at his teammate in shock and anger.

"There's more to this than you're letting on. What is it? I'm curious to know." Renkotsu was still smirking, but there was a serious curiosity in his eyes and a slight hint of concern.

All of this went unnoticed by Suikotsu as he struggled to get out of Renkotsu's iron grasp. However, his muscles were still fatigued from the mission, and he couldn't overpower the fire breather from his disadvantaged position on the ground. "Get off me!"

"Not until you confess." Renkotsu held firm, though it was taking all of his strength to keep the much bigger and stronger man down, luckily he had his teammates wrists pinned down above his head so he couldn't use his claws.

"Get off me NOW!" Suikotsu snarled, all of his muscles straining to raise himself from the ground, it looked for a moment his battle personality might be taking over, but then his body went limp as his already tired muscles gave out. He lay there panting hard, but managed to hiss another "get off me."

"At this point if I did you'd punch my face in, so I think not," Renkotsu answered matter-of-factly.

"Your face was in danger the minute you assaulted my person like this!" Suikotsu snapped.

The fire breather's expression changed from one of smug triumph to horrified realization. "I didn't think that far ahead..."

"That's a first." It was Suikotsu's turn to smirk, and he relaxed a little.

"Look I just want to know why you have such abstinence for alcohol when you freely participate in whoring and a little opium with the rest of us."

This time the claw bearer took notice of the curiosity and flecks of concern in his comrade's eyes, and he felt his anger at the surprise attack lessen.

"So what happened? I mean do you mind telling me what the circumstances were?" Renkotsu prompted.

"Not particularly," Suikotsu breathed, looking away.

A long moment of awkward silence stretched between them. Finally Renkotsu sighed in defeat, and was about to release Suikotsu when his teammate suddenly spoke.

"I was married before. Did you know that?" Suikotsu murmured darkly.

Renkotsu let out a small gasp at this sudden revelation.

"I was about sixteen or seventeen, and she was about my age. I had met her in a village I stopped at. There was a terrible plague of lung sickness and she helped me heal all those we possibly could. After the village was healed, she joined me on my healing travels. We were a fine pair, so of course we made it official."

A small smile crossed Suikotsu's face as he remembered her.

"What happened to her?" Renkotsu whispered gently. "Did you…? Your other side…?"

"No…This long before that, when I was still one person." Suikotsu closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. "She died trying to bear my child…"

Renkotsu's eyes widened and his mouth fell open in shock.

Despite the sorrow that seemed to be welling up in Suikotsu, the claw bearer continued his story, "I was so broken afterwards, when her life left her body, and our child followed her so not even it could comfort me. All of my knowledge and skills and I could not save the one person who meant most to me in all the world. I was nothing, what was the good of saving everyone else if I could not save her?

"So I looked for anything that would take the pain of my guilt away. I might have split mind then had I not discovered that drinking that numbed the mind and made you forget everything. I became addicted to it; I could not go on without it.

"I don't really remember when or where the old doctor had found me. Perhaps in my drunken state I had passed out on his door step or maybe he had found me lying in the streets; all I know is I woke up in a house I had never seen before under the care of a kind doctor who taught me how to live again. Well, that was after he nursed me through a terrible period withdrawal, when my body violently begged for the alcoholic dosage it had become accustomed to.

"He called my arrival a blessing; he was getting old and looking for a successor to be the village physician when he finally passed on. Having no other place to go, I accepted this. I think I yearned for some sort of direction in my life, to give me purpose and something to focus on beside my sorrow." Suikotsu sadly looked over at his friend and sighed.

"The old man died peacefully in his sleep one night and I took over as the village's physician. Not longer after came that fateful night when samurai attacked and destroyed the village. In the midst of the chaos I found a little girl who was wounded and I tried to save her, all the while the villagers telling me to run before I was found. But I was determined to save her; I promised I would not fail anyone else who depended on me.

"Then the samurai found me. They killed her right in front of my eyes, and once again I could do nothing to stop it. I killed the man who had killed her, but even still, it was too late. I had sworn my life to the protection and healing of others, and yet I had killed a man and still did not save that innocent girl.

"I could not forgive myself. The excruciating guilt took me again, but instead of the drink taking away the pain of my guilt something else did. My own self. Maybe in a way my violent side was the ultimate cure for my remorse and uselessness. I wanted to escape from the horrible things that had happened to me. So I hid behind him. Little did I know that in doing so I had sold my soul to the devil in order to relieve my pain.

"And the rest is history…" Suikotsu's face and voice were void of any emotion, but his body was trembling as if on the verge of tears.

Renkotsu listened silently, his expression equally stoic, though his thumbs were gently caressing the palms of the hands he was pinning down. Acting on impulse, the fire breather lifted up his right hand and gently touched the claw bearer's cheek.

Suikotsu turned his face toward the warmth of Renkotsu's palm. Suddenly the second in command pulled his hand away, and sat back on his heels. Though he was still straddling Suikotsu's waist, the claw bearer's upper body was completely unhindered to make any attack he pleased, but no attack was made. Instead Suikotsu found he missed the warmth of Renkotsu's body on top of his, it had been a strange comfort while he relived memories he had tried so hard to suppress and forget.

"I'm sorry; I've invaded your personal space enough for one night," Renkotsu whispered soberly, and shifting his body fully off Suikotsu's, he sat down next to him on the sand. "You can hit me now if you want to. I deserve it for making you relive that."

Suikotsu looked Renkotsu evenly for a moment then sat up wearily. "I'm not in the mood anymore. Besides, it felt kind of good to tell somebody else. But if you dare speak of this to anyone else, I will make you my personal scratching post."

"Agreed. Heh. At the rate of my alcohol consumption, I'll probably forget all about this by tomorrow morning," Renkotsu grinned shyly, trying to lighten the moment, and was relieved to see a small smile cross Suikotsu's face.

A long silence passed between them as they fell under the hypnotic spell of the ocean. Suddenly Suikotsu growled "fuck it!" and he grabbed the bottle of bodoka, taking very large gulps of the liquid, before putting the bottle down.

Claw bearer laughed hollowly at the wide eyed expression on his teammate's face. "I'm already going to hell and my mind is already in shambles, so why the fuck should I care if my liver goes as well."

"As good a reason as any." Renkotsu nodded congenially and picked up the bottle of rum and took a swing.

"Besides, who would care if I suddenly dropped dead of liver poisoning," Suikotsu said darkly and took another gulp.

"I should be very sorry to see you go," Renkotsu said softly.

Suikotsu almost choked on his alcohol. "You?"

"Uh...I mean..." Renkotsu stuttered. Apparently he had not meant to say that out loud. "You're...Well, you're the only one in the group I can carry on an intelligent conversation with."

"Thanks, any kind of compliment on intelligence from you is a great compliment indeed."

"You're welcome." Renkotsu nodded, gazing lazily at the plume of smoke coming from where the rest of the Shichinintai had gathered. "I wonder if Jak has ripped all of Ban's clothes off yet."

"I'd prefer not to know," Suikotsu smiled wryly.

Renkotsu laughed and cleared his throat. The fire breather spoke in a much higher pitched voice and imitated all of Jakotsu's intonations, but threw in a little exaggeration for extra comedy "Ban-chaaaaaaaaaaannnnnn! Will you make love to me agaaaaainnnnnn?"

Suikotsu stared at his teammate in shock for a moment, before roaring with so much laughter, he almost dropped the bottle of rum he was holding. "Hahaha! You sound just like him! Here, let me try!"

The claw bearer cleared his own throat then imitated their leader's tones. "Aww, come on Jak seven times already, ain't ya had enough?"

Renkotsu was so overcome with laughter that no sound came out of his open mouth; he doubled over, his shoulders shaking furiously. Finally he managed to get enough air into his lungs to vibrate his vocal cords and produce a laugh. "That…was…great…" Renkotsu guffawed between gasps of air.

The two men had to lean on each other in order to keep from falling face first in the sand.

"Okay, okay. I have the perfect response for that," Renkotsu finally spoke when he had regained enough control over his breathing.

The second in command had meant to do an impression of Jakotsu kissing Bankotsu on the cheek and begging for more, but just at that moment Suikotsu had turned his head so that he could continue their imitation of their leader's and his paramour's banter, when their lips met.

They quickly broke apart the kiss in shock at what just happened, but they still remained only inches away from one another. Then a force, be it the alcohol or fate having some fun with the two Shichinintai, drove their lips together again. This time much deeper.

Renkotsu opened his eyes to a dull gray sky. The clouds had moved in overnight and covered the majestic blue the sky prided itself on. Lucky for them the rain had not followed those clouds. The fire breather's head felt like Ginkotsu was using it for a punching bag. I took him a few seconds to realize something warm and rather heavy was lying on top of him.

"S…S…Sui?" Renkotsu stuttered out through his parched throat. His only reply was the soft snores coming from his teammate.

He raised a hand and gently shook the claw bearer. "Sui…Get off..."

"Mmmmphf…" Suikotsu garbled and yawned, but was still mostly asleep and his own hangover was not helping him to wake.

"Sui…" Renkotsu started slowly some worry in his voice. "Please tell me this is a dream and you are not lying on top of me…"

"This is a dream and I am not lying on top of you." The claw bearer mumbled still mostly asleep.

"Oh…Okay…" the fire breather, quite incoherent himself, rested back down and closed his eyes to sleep again.

Suikotsu snuggled closer to Renkotsu, causing his teammate's eyes to snap open in realization that it was no dream. In a split second of panic the fire breather shoved his comrade off himself.

"Hey!" Suikotsu called out as he landed on the sand with a thud. He spat out some sand and sat up though he instantly regretted it as the world spun on its axis. "What was that for?"

Renkotsu sat up and rubbed his temples as his head spun around and throbbed as well. "Sorry, I didn't mean to push that hard."

"It's okay…" Suikotsu murmured lying down flat on the sand again. "Oh hell, my head is killing me... Another reason I stopped drinking. How much did we drink last night?"

"I don't know I lost count after awhile..." Renkotsu trailed off as he sat down next to Suikotsu.

"Urgh. Would you stop shouting?" Suikotsu looked over at him rather bleary eyed.

"I'm not shouting," The fire breather quirked an eyebrow. "I can't with my throat this dry."

"It sounds like to me." The claw bearer growled at first, but then his face suddenly relaxed and took on a wistful look. " why can't you whisper again, like you did last night? Your voice is really soothing and pleasnat when you whisper..."

Renkotsu's eyes widened a little bit at the sudden compliment, then smiled and lowered his voice. "Is this better?"

" A little, but for some reason it sounded much better last night... it was soft , yet deep and I liked the way your breath tickled my ear... " Suikotsu's dim, tired eyes suddenly became a little wider. "You were whipsering in my ear last night!"

"I did?" Renkotsu furrowed his borrow trying to remember something that seemed to be completely beyond the grasp of his memory. "What did I say?"

"I can't remember just now..." The claw bearer answered tiredly, his eyelids drooping once again. "I'm sure it must have been something nice as I wound up using you as a pillow..." He grinned.

Both men laughed, and Renkotsu lay down in the sand next to his comrade.

"If it had been anyone else lying on top of me I might have been worried." the firebreather chuckled.

The claw bearer joined him in his reverie. "I hear you... especially if it was Jak."

"That would be my worst nightmare. Waking up to find that little freak on top of me." Renkotsu placed his hand on his face in disgust at the thought.

"And that would be Ban's fondest dream." Suikotsu laughed heartily, then after he'd calmed his laughter he turned his head to face Renkotsu. "So what would your fondest dream be, Ren?"

The fire breather placed his hands behind his head as a make shift pillow. "Well let's see, I..." It looked as if he would answer right away, but then he seemed to ponder it further. His face changed from thoughtfull to distant, almost confused. "I don't know..."

"You don't know?" Suikotsu sat up in suprise.

Renkotsu sat up looking a little confused himself. "It's strange, I knew a moment ago, but then when I think of all the things I want, suddenly seem so petty next to something else..."

"Next to what?"

"I don't know..."

Renkotsu shifted his position so he could look out on to the sea, as if the answer was hidden in the rolling waves. "There was something...no someone...In a dream last night...it was good to be around them...I usually just tolerate people..."

"I don't liek to be around peopel myself as I never know what'll set me off..." Suikotsu sighed sadly, also turning his gaze to the sea. "It's a lonely existence, but what can I do?"

"You did the right thing."

"Did I...?" Suikotsu's voice wavered as he swallowed a lump rising in his throat. "I should have slit my wrists all those years ago when my wife died. It would have spared me and everyone else I encountered since a lot trouble and heartache."

Renkotsu's mouth hung open in shock at Suikotsu's sudden down turn in humor. "Uh...I mean...I meant..." He slowly and hesitantly put a hand on Suikotsu's shoulder, and his teammate looked up at him his eyes almost begging for some words to comfort his troubled mind. Renkotsu managed to plaster a smirk on his face and answered in a wry tone of voice. "You... you... found a group of guys just as deranged as you are."

The second in command was relieved to see a small and weary, but genuine smile spread across the Suikotsu's face. "I guess I did... didn't I?" The claw bearer whispered. "A group to channel the tendencies of both sides of myself."

"Yes." Renkotsu nodded and gently squeezed Suikotsu's shoulder.

"But that doesn't explain you. Why is a sane person like you with us?" Suikotsu looked sideways at his comrade.

"Me? Sane? Heh...If only you knew..."

"Knew what?"

Renkotsu looked off into the ocean again. His voice just as distant as his gaze was. "Ever since the night my monestary...my home... burned down..."

Suikotsu's eyes widened a little. In terms of his past, Renkotsu had been closed tighter than a clam. "What happened?"

"I just stood there watching...just watching it burn..." The fire breather's eyes stared blankly foward.

"Watching? Didn't you try to help?"

Renkotsu blinked, some life returning to his blank eyes. He stood up and silently walked forward a few steps toward the water. Suikotsu stood up himself despite his dizziness, a rush of fear that Renkotsu might drown himself swept through his mind. However those fears were laid to rest when the fire breather stopped and stood at the water's edge.

"No, I did not." the second in command answered somberly. "I...I wanted it to burn...The fire was so beautiful...I couldn't stop watching...Even when people were screaming and burning around me..."

Suddenly he whirled around to face Suikotsu. "I didn't mean to do it! It was an accident!" Renkotsu protested loudly as though someone had made an accusation, though Suikotsu had made nothing of the sort. "I just coughed!"

Renkotsu lowered his head, his face scrunched in strain of holding back the sorrow and anger of his memories kept bottled up inside him. He turned away to face the water again. "I...just ...coughed..." His voice came out a whimper.

Suikotsu just stood still, not sure whether to approach his comrade or not. He watched as Renkotsu's shoulders began to shake and his whole body tremble. The claw bearer stared on in shock, Renkotsu was crying? He could not believe it. He'd seen all of his other comrades break into tears either by pain of heart or pain of wounds, but never Renkotsu.

"What is this? Tears?" Renkotsu wavered, choking with sorrow and anger. "I did not cry when the monestary burned, nor when they branded my forehead, nor when they banished me from my home, nor when I stumbled about cold and hungry, or even at the hundreds of cities I have burned to the ground. WHY AM I CRYING NOW?"

Suikotsu quietly walked up to his grieving comrade and gently placed his hands on his teammate's shoulders, and his head between the other Shichinintai's shoulder blades. Renkotsu tensed at the contact from his teammate, but slowly relaxed as the warmth from Suikotsu's touch soothed his ragged nerves. He looked up at the sky as if begging for strength while the tears rolled down his cheeks.

"You won't think less of me for this would you?" Renkotsu asked shakily after calming himself a little.

"No. Why would I?" the claw bearer raised his head.

"Imagine the cold stone impenetrable Renkotsu, weeping like a pathetic child." Renkotsu laughed, but it was a hollow empty sound with not a touch of humor.

"It sounds like something that's been long overdue." Suikotsu called on his good side to muster the gentlest voice he could.

Renkotsu lowered his head, his face softened considerably at the comforting words. He could finally mourn his past, but still have his dignity intact. He raised a shaky hand and placed it on top of Suikotsu's and squeezed it a little. "Thank you."

The fire breather turned around to finally face his teammate. He wiped away his tears with the palms of his hands and tried to put on a strong face. "I'm being so childish, I shouldn't have brought you into this, you have your own bad memories to deal with."

Suikotsu put his hands on renkotsu's shoulders again, and rested his forehead against the fire breather's. "Stop being stupid. You've had it rough too."

Renkotsu smiled and nodded. Suikotsu pulled back a little. "Now I'm invading _your_ space too much."

The fire breather felt his smile grow a little wider as the memory from the previous night of Suikotsu confessing his past to him. Renkotsu suddenly felt closer to his comrade. Though he did not know when this happened, he felt a deep connection had been forged, one of understanding, of sharing the same pain, the same mentally torturing existence. Suddenly the pain didn't seem so bad anymore now that it was being shared and understood by another person.

Renkotsu gently placed a hand behind Suikotsu's neck and pulled the other man a little closer. The claw bearer mad no resistance, and they rested their foreheads together again.

"Not yet…I am…" Renkotsu hesitated as his next words held still in his mind. Never had such words passed his tongue, such words of comfort, of endearment, of…love. "I am comforted when you are near me."

Suikotsu's eyes widened a little in surprise then he closed them and smiled, pulling Renkotsu a little closer. Then fate's forces again took hold of them and brought their lips together in a kiss, this time not in drunken lust, but a sober need for closeness.

It was not the deepest kiss either of them had experienced, it was not even the most passionate, but there was something deep inside that passed between them. The burn of their past pain and sorrow was soothed, their hearts quivered and synchronized their beats. To finally share warmth with another person they could trust was feeling completely alien to one of them and something long lost for the other.

They pulled apart to breathe and fully comprehend the new feelings passing through them. Each one rested his head on the other's shoulder, pulling into a tight embrace.

"I feel whole…" Suikotsu whispered, tightening his grip on Renkotsu. "All of my sides finally agree on something, you."

Renkotsu held Suikotsu closer still and turned his head to softly kiss the claw bearer's neck.

How was it that only yesterday they had just been comrades in arms, completely indifferent to each other's feelings? Now they were standing embraced in each other's arms on a beach, comforting each other's sorrows.

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"Well, well. Look who's decided to come back." Bankotsu greeted his two subordinates drowsily, as they approached the group circled around a wavering campfire. "Want some tea? 'Hair of the Dog' included."

"I could use some, my head is bursting. Damn, bodoka…" Renkotsu wearily poured himself some of the "morning after" tea.

"I'm fine thank you." Suikotsu waved it off, though his head was still throbbing as well. Mainly, he wanted to hide from the others that he had been drinking.

Jakotsu looked sideways at Suikotsu and studied him very carefully, then put on a smug little grin. "Why Suikotsu, you have a hangover…."

"What! I do not!" Suikotsu retorted nervously.

"Don't! Lie! To! ME!" Jakotsu yelled though he was not angry, and received cringes of pain from everyone including Suikotsu around him, as the loud and rather high pitched voice aggravated all of they're hangovers. Seeing he had gotten the intended reaction from Suikotsu he lowered his voice to non-painful levels. "Aww, our little Suikotsu has his first hangover." He giggled.

"Leave him alone!" Renkotsu snapped. "His head hurts enough without all of your nonsense!"

Everyone stared at when in complete surprise. Their cold comrade never once defended anyone else on the team, except for Ginkotsu a couple of times, but not for anyone else.

A seductive grin crossed Jakotsu's face as he quirked a curious eyebrow. "So what did you two do last night?"

Renkotsu and Suikotsu exchanged glances as a silent promise passed between them and together they answered. "None of you goddamned business…"

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_Hehe. One of my favorite pairings. I surprised I haven't seen this pairing around before. Perhaps, not enough Renkotsu fans who are also yaoi fans._

_I hope you liked the story._

_Reviews are always appreciated!_


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